


Unlikely Alliance

by yuletide_archivist



Category: Zorro (TV 1990)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-12-19
Updated: 2007-12-19
Packaged: 2018-01-25 05:58:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1635242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuletide_archivist/pseuds/yuletide_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After being kicked out of office, Luis Ramon is forced into a reluctant alliance with his worst foe, and what happens next teaches Diego that he should not take certain things for granted. Set shortly after episode ten, second season : "white sheep of the family".</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unlikely Alliance

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to Rhap-chan for beta-ing this story without my usual beta (and recipient for this year) knowing about it. Eh, it had to be a surprise ! Thanks also to Kezya for giving me such an interesting challenge. I hope you had as much fun reading this as I had writing it.
> 
> Written for kezya

 

 

Sprawled in the armchair in his office, Alcalde Luis Ramon considered whether it was worth it trying to stand up to refill his glass. He was not sure he would be able to sit up, let alone stand; but on the other hand, it was hardly eleven in the evening yet, and he felt he would need some more alcohol to make the night bearable. Finally he heaved a sigh and reached for the bottle. He brought the bottleneck to his lips, not bothering with the glass - after all, it was not as if anyone could see him.

"You make for a rather sorry sight, Alcalde."

Choking and sputtering, Ramon let the bottle drop in surprise and raised his head to meet the steady gaze of Zorro. His first reflex was to draw his sword, but then he remembered it was on his desk, out of reach, and he slumped back in the armchair. Eyeing speculatively the fallen bottle and the widening puddle of alcohol underneath, he wondered if he had drunk enough yet to be hallucinating. Zorro seemed infuriatingly real as far as he could tell, but if hallucinations did not seem real, they would not be hallucinations. He contemplated for a moment this fascinating paradigm, then decided he did not really care and reached a second time for the bottle before it was completely empty. Zorro was faster than him, though, and removed it swiftly out of range.

"I really think you've drunk enough for tonight," he said matter-of-factly.

Well, that settled it. Only the real Zorro could annoy Ramon so much in so short a span of time. The Alcalde groaned wearily. "What do you want? Or is it simply the sole purpose of your life to make mine a living hell?"

The question was, of course, rhetorical.

The masked man sat on a corner of Ramon's desk and stared at him critically. "It's been almost three days and you haven't executed, tyrannized, beaten of imprisoned anyone. I was wondering what you were up to. I must admit I did not quite expect that. Have your sins finally come back to haunt you?"

Ramon glanced discreetly at his sword. If he was fast enough, and if he managed to grab it before Zorro moved... But first of all he needed to stall. "I don't see what you're referring to," he said, speaking carefully so his speech would not be slurred by the effects of the alcohol. "I protect the law-abiding people of my pueblo. You're the one who has a price on his head."

With an amused chuckle, Zorro lifted Ramon's sword from the desk and weighed it. "If you like," he conceded agreeably. "I have not come to argue about that."

Surprised to see Zorro step down so easily, Ramon glared at him. Then he saw Zorro's gaze focus on the papers on his desk, and his blood ran cold in his veins. The letter, if that damn fox saw the letter... he plunged forward, but his inebriated state made him somewhat clumsy and he tangled his feet, falling to the ground. He stood up painfully, leaning on the desk to remain upward, but by then it was too late and Zorro was reading the letter.

Anger helped dispel the clouds of alcohol in his foggy mind, and Ramon noticed his sword that Zorro had laid back down on the desk. Taking advantage of the damn fox's inattention as he read, the Alcalde seized the handle of his rapier and tried to deal Zorro a deathblow. But by the time he had pulled the sword from the sheath, his masked opponent was ready and had his own sword drawn, on the defensive. He negligently dropped the letter back onto Ramon's desk. Furiously, the Alcalde thrust forward, but much too slowly. Zorro did not even have to use his blade; he caught Ramon's wrist in a steely grip and twisted it painfully until he dropped his weapon. The Alcalde fell to his knees, breathing in short gasps, and Zorro sheathed his sword calmly, not having even broken a sweat.

"My condolences, Alcalde," he said quietly.

When Ramon looked up again, the damn fox had disappeared, silent as a shadow - or as his namesake. Slowly, he made his way back to the armchair, and took the letter. He read it again, though he already knew each word by heart. Perhaps he should be happy with the news the letter brought, but in spite of everything, he could not find it in his heart to rejoice in his twin brother's death.

_______________________________________________________________________

The next morning found Diego sleeping in. After all, he had to make up for his short nights at some point, so he felt absolutely guiltless. That did not change the fact that his father thought he was just being lazy. Of course, that was useful for Diego's cover as a spineless and cowardly intellectual, but that was also terribly frustrating at times. He had lost count of the number of times he had been about to spill his secret to his father, because he could no longer stand it. Each time, he had held back just in time. Each time, he had been just a fraction closer to genuinely dropping the mask.

Rolling over, he sighed, and eventually rose. From the amount of light that filtered into the room through the shutters, he could tell it was at least mid-morning. His father had probably been up since dawn.

Having washed and dressed, Diego decided it was too late for breakfast; he would wait for lunch. Besides, he was never very hungry in the morning. Instead, he headed for the living room, where he found his father reading a book, though he closed it immediately when his son entered.

"Ah, Diego. Up already?" Alejandro asked, his voice slightly ironic.

Diego decided to play along. "Yes, father, I decided to get up early today."

"Humpf. Well, I was about to go in town. Will you come with me?"

"With pleasure," Diego agreed readily. Going in town meant almost certainly stopping by the tavern, and stopping by the tavern meant seeing Victoria.

A moment later, father and son were riding side to side towards the pueblo. It was only two miles, but neither of them was inclined to hurry. The autumn day was nice and warm, and there was no urgent business to take care of, so they simply enjoyed the pleasant ride. Diego relaxed and let himself be lulled in a comfortable daze by the movement of the horse. Therefore, he was taken completely by surprise when his father broached a sore subject.

"Diego, have you thought about marriage of late?"

The young man had a sudden coughing fit, and his father tapped him in the back.

"Well, I had no idea I would trigger such a reaction," Don Alejandro observed, amusement shining in his eyes. "Still, my question stands."

"Father," Diego choked. "I think I am, um, too young yet."

"Ridiculous," his father waved the argument away. "When I was your age..."

"...you were long married," Diego finished, rolling his eyes.

There was an uncomfortable silence before the older de la Vega continued.

"Diego," he said gently, "I know that you harboured... and perhaps still harbour, certain feelings towards, um, a señorita in the pueblo. But I think her heart is already taken. You shouldn't mope around. Perhaps it is time to move on, don't you think?"

Diego felt his face flush, and he tilted slightly his head to the side to hide his scowl. He had not realized his feelings for Victoria were so obvious, but of course, his father knew him better than anyone else - he just had had the delicacy not to mention it until now.

"Father, I... I don't think I am ready to consider marriage yet," he said finally.

"All right," Don Alejandro replied softly. "But if you ever need to talk about it..."

"I'll keep that in mind," Diego cut hastily. He had no wish whatsoever to speak about that particular matter to anyone, including his father. He suspected that his father had been considering potential brides, and he had no desire of hearing about that particular list.

The rest of the way was silent. Diego kept biting his lip furiously; he hated to be the cause of yet another disappointment for his father, and he knew how much he wanted grandchildren and a stepdaughter. Don Alejandro's patience and gentleness with the whole matter only made him feel worse.

Could he not just tell Victoria? He trusted her, she would never betray his secret, and he would be, at last, free to marry her... but even as he indulged in pleasant fantasies, he knew it could never be. Everybody knew Victoria's feelings for Zorro; if she married Diego, his secret - and likely his life - would be forfeit, not to mention the unavoidable consequences for his loved ones. He would not see his father or Victoria hurt because of his selfishness; he had hurt them enough already.

Enough wallowing in self-pity for one day, Diego decided. He would do what he had to, as he always had. As tempted as he was to confide in his father, a secret stopped being a secret when more than one person knew about it - and Felipe did not count. Oh, he trusted his father of course, but if he knew the truth, it would not be long before Don Alejandro felt compelled to do something to defend Diego's honour, or worse, to help him when he rode as Zorro. He shivered at the very thought of his father trying to take on some of the Alcalde's men. Although Alejandro was prone to forgetting it, he was not as young as he once had been.

However, as they rode in town, Diego's mind was pulled from his gloomy thoughts by the unusual activity he could see on the plaza, and he shared a glance with his father.

"Something must have happened," Don Alejandro said.

Diego nodded. "We'd better go and see what this is all about."

"I just hope the Alcalde is not up to something," the older de la Vega muttered as they urged their horses forward.

Diego shook his head. He remembered the state he had found Ramon in the previous night, and he highly doubted the man was in any shape to do any mischief. He was probably too busy suffering from a hangover. Unless he had decided to take his anger on someone... that idea was rather worrisome, given the man's temper.

However, as the two men reached the center of the plaza, it became obvious that no punishment was about to take place. The reason for the whole commotion was also quite obvious, as a small troup of men in military uniforms stood there, having just arrived in Los Angeles. That was quite unexpected, and Diego wondered whether he was about to hear good or bad news. His father dismounted, and the young man followed his lead, then they walked towards the newcomers.

Their leader wore a Capitán's uniform. He was a short and stocky man, with black hair and dark brown eyes, and a beard closely trimmed. When Diego and his father approached, he gratified them with a faint smile that did not quite reach his eyes. Next to him stood another man who did not seem to be with the military, and Diego eyed him curiously. A wide-brimmed, feathered hat cast a shadow over the man's features, but somehow he seemed vaguely familiar - yet Diego could not recall ever meeting him.

"Hello, señores, and welcome to our pueblo of Los Angeles," Don Alejandro said politely. "I am Don Alejandro de la Vega, and this is my son, Don Diego."

Diego smiled nervously to the two men, and the Capitán tilted his head curtly back.

"Señor de la Vega," he answered, "it's a pleasure to meet you. I am Capitán Rodrigo Alvarez." He waved at his companion. "And this is my friend, Don Clemente Villegas."

"Pleasure to meet you," Diego's father said politely to Villegas. The feathered hat tilted forward in what seemed to be a nod.

"The pleasure is mine, Señor de la Vega," Don Clemente said in a raucous voice.

"Now," Alvarez continued, "I hate to be rude, but I do have some business to attend to in Los Angeles."

"Can we be of any assistance?" Don Alejandro offered.

"I doubt it," the Capitán smiled. "We're here to arrest the Alcalde Luis Ramon."

Diego and his father shared an astonished look.

"Excuse me," Diego said, blinking. "I thought I heard you say you were here to arrest the Alcalde."

"That's right," Alvarez nodded. He tapped his breast pocket. "I've got here an order, signed by the governor of California, Pablo Vicente de Sola, which gives me the authority to remove Luis Ramon from his office."

"Well, that's certainly great news," the older de la Vega said. "And it was long overdue."

Perplexed, Diego looked at the Capitán and his friend. As his father had said, the removal of the Alcalde from his office was long overdue, so why now? And did it really have anything to do with the people of Los Angeles?

"Excuse me," he said, "but what exactly is the Alcalde accused of?"

Alvarez gave him a piercing look. "Why do you want to know?" he asked.

Diego shrugged, surprised to receive such an answer for such an innocent question. "Just curious, really."

"Of course," the Capitán sneered. "Luis Ramon is accused of murder, if you must know."

Diego received his second shock in less than five minutes. If the Alcalde was arrested for theft, or embezzlement, or consorting with criminals, he would believe the charge without a second's hesitation. But murder? Ramon certainly did not mind when people died because of his schemes, but he was not the kind to dirty his hands. Even Diego's father seemed less than convinced.  
By then, a small crowd had gathered around the four men, and Diego had little doubt that in less than a few hours, the whole pueblo would know the details of the conversation that was being held. Sergeant Mendoza had elbowed his way to Diego and now stared, gaping stupidly at Alvarez, who did not seem to have even noticed the sergeant's presence.

"Who is the Alcalde accused of murdering?" Don Alejandro enquired.

However, Alvarez did not have time to answer, for at that same moment a familiar shout could be heard on the plaza, coming from the Alcalde's office.

"Mendozaaa!"

Predictably, Luis Ramon strode out of his office, looking for the sergeant. Next to Diego, Mendoza uttered a squeak and seemed tempted to hide somewhere - too late, as the Alcalde had already spotted him and strode in his direction. The crowd opened in front of Ramon, nobody wanting to be in his way when the result could be twenty lashes for some imaginary offence.

"What is this gathering about?" Ramon demanded to know, before his eyes landed on Capitán Alvarez. He paled noticeably when he saw the officer.

Alvarez had a predatory smile. "Hello, Luis."

Diego raised an eyebrow in surprise. That man was on a first name basis with the Alcalde? Now that was a surprise... He did not recall having ever seen Alvarez before in Los Angeles, so they must have met a long time ago.   
However, Ramon quickly regained his composure and straightened, eyeing the newcomer coolly. But Diego, from where he stood, noticed that the Alcalde's lips were pursed and his jaw was tense.

"What are you doing here, Rodrigo?"

Alvarez drew his sword. "I'm here to arrest you. Please give me your sword and surrender yourself. Do not try to resist - it would be a pity if we had to hurt you, would it not?"

"Arrest me?" Ramon looked as flabbergasted as everyone else upon hearing the news. He stared blankly at Alvarez for a moment, as though unable to register the man's words, before shaking his head and scowling. "On what charges?"

"Murder," Alvarez informed him. "Your sword, Luis. I won't ask again."

The Alcalde folded his arms. "This is ridiculous. I did not murder anyone."

"That's not the opinion of the governor of California," the Capitán replied. "He was convinced by the evidence presented to him. But if you want to argue the point, feel free to do so when he comes to appoint a new Alcalde. In the meantime, you are considered guilty." He motioned his men forward. "Seize him."

Ramon was too taken aback to resist. Alvarez's men grabbed his sword and held him strongly by his arms, ignoring his glares. Alvarez turned his attention on Mendoza, who would probably have gladly given three months' pay not to find himself in such a situation.

"You, sergeant! What is your name?"

Mendoza licked his lips nervously. "Hum, Jaime Mendoza, sir."

"You will address me as Capitán. Go with my men and show them where the cells are. Make sure that Señor Ramon is securely locked and then give me the key. I'll hold you personally responsible if he escapes, so make sure you know where your loyalty - and your best interests, I might add - lie."

Mendoza glanced at Ramon, who glared daggers at him, and nodded nervously.

"Mendoza - Don't you dare...!" Ramon began in indignation, but he was silenced by Alvarez's humourless laugh.

The Alcalde - well, ex-Alcalde really - was swiftly taken away, his guards led by a miserable-looking Mendoza. The sergeant could not be that affected by Ramon's fate, but he was probably feeling uneasy locking up the man he had been taking orders from for so long. But Diego knew him well, and he could have bet the sergeant would be in no time in Victoria's inn, having a good lunch to get over these last surprising events. Still, he wondered...

Diego was snapped out of his reverie when his father spoke again.

"You haven't answered my question," Don Alejandro was saying. "Who did the Alcalde kill?"

"Ah, that," said Alvarez negligently. "He killed his own twin brother, Vicente Ramon."

"What?" Diego could not help but blurt out.

Only the night before, he had seen the Alcalde devastated by the news of his brother's death. And now Alvarez was telling him Ramon was the one who had killed his twin? Diego's first, automatic reaction was disbelief. Yet, as he thought about it, he was starting to wonder. After all, Vicente had tried to kill his brother, and the Alcalde had never been one to take kindly to attempts on his life. Was it so surprising that he would...?

Alvarez had an ironic smile, as if he could follow Diego's reasoning. "Eh, yes. Your Alcalde is just a common murderer. But don't worry, we'll take care of it."

"But who is going to act as Alcalde until Governor de Sola comes here?" Alejandro wanted to know.

The capitán bowed in front of Diego and his father. "Your humble servant, Capitán Rodrigo Alvarez, will be acting Alcalde until then."

"Oh," said Alejandro, a little taken aback at the sudden changes he was witnessing. Was it really the end of tyranny for the pueblo, after everything they had been through?

Diego hoped so with all his heart. If peace was reinstated, then Zorro would not longer be needed, and at long last he would be free of the figure he had himself created. At last, he could be himself. He could be with Victoria. He could ride Tornado, go to the inn, take her with him and leave on a honeymoon. They would marry, in a small chapel - or perhaps she would prefer a formal ceremony with a feast and the whole pueblo as witness. He could already see her ravishing smile as she said, "Yes, I..."

The hand of his father on his shoulder snatched Diego from his pleasant daydreaming before his fictitious Victoria could even agree to marry him, and he glanced up, realizing Alvarez had left, probably to invade the Alcalde's office, and that the plaza was almost cleared.

"Diego? Where were you? Certainly not in Los Angeles if I trust this faraway look..." Alejandro teased him.

"As a matter of fact, I was here, father," Diego replied stiffly. He felt a blush creep up his cheeks, and could not help but cast a sidelong glance towards Victoria's inn. "Very much here..."

Alejandro followed his son's glance and sighed softly. "Come on, Diego, let's take care of our business here."

____________________________________________________________________________________

The following night found Zorro in his den, getting ready for his nightly ride. He nodded a thank-you to Felipe when the boy handed him his mask and sword, and put them on. Tornado had already been saddled and bridled, and was prancing impatiently.

As much as Zorro wanted to believe the problems of the pueblo had come to an end, he still felt it was his duty to make sure. Certain things did not add up. He still found it difficult to believe the Alcalde would murder his own brother. Zorro was usually a good judge of people; could he really so mistaken in so far as the Alcalde was concerned?

Perhaps he was. Perhaps he was just feeling sorry for the man after seeing him in such a sorry state just the night before - although God knew Ramon did not deserve any pity. But he had to make sure, if only for the sake of his own soul. With any luck, this would be the last time Diego ever locked himself beneath that black mask. He might as well enjoy the ride...

Felipe made a motion with his hands, and Zorro shook his head.

"No, I don't expect any trouble. I am not going to confront anyone, I think. Just making sure Señor Alvarez is who he says he is."

Felipe made another motion.

"Of course, I'll be careful as always. I'll be back in a few hours, but don't wait for me. A boy your age needs his sleep."

Looking positively indignant, Felipe protested silently. Used to the boy's expressive gestures, Zorro hardly needed the formal sign language to understand what he meant to say anymore.

"Yes, yes," he said appeasingly. "I know you're a young man now, not a boy anymore. You still need to sleep if you want to ever be as tall as Zorro."

Felipe grinned as he considered that and Zorro mounted his black stallion and urged him forward. This was one of the things he loved best about being Zorro: the rides in the dark. Even though it was quite dangerous to gallop during the night, both he and Tornado knew the country so well that they risked nothing. The same could not be said of the poor guards who were usually sent after him in the vain hope of capturing the Fox.

Fortunately, there had never been any serious injuries. Zorro always felt a little bad about their injuries - after all, they were only obeying the Alcalde's orders - but it was not like he really had a choice. Besides, if they obeyed a criminal's orders, they should not complain afterwards. And, if Mendoza would not harm a fly, the same could not be said of all of the lancers, some of which were nothing but bullies in uniforms.

Having finally reached the outskirts of the pueblo, Zorro dismounted and made sure the reins were tied to the pommel of his saddle. If they were left loose, there was a chance Tornado might trip on them and suffer a serious injury, and not only would that break Zorro's heart to loose his faithful companion, it would also leave him in a tight spot if he was seen and chased. He did not, however, otherwise impede the horse, leaving him free to go as he pleased. No matter what, Tornado would come when Zorro whistled.

Once that was taken care of, he walked stealthily into the town, almost invisible in his black outfit. Leaping from a shadow to another, he was silent as his namesake. It was almost too easy; Zorro had sneaked into town so often in the past that he knew perfectly where each guard was posted, and how long it was before the relief. He knew the roofs of the Alcalde's office better than his own bedroom, and remembered which tiles would make a noise when he stepped onto them. Smiling smugly, he found himself in no time at the Alcalde's window, which of course was open. At this time of the year, the sultriness of the Californian summer still lingered, and no one in their right mind would keep their windows closed.

Peering inside, Zorro saw that Capitán Alvarez and his strange friend, Clemente Villegas, were alone in the room. Alvarez was sitting leisurely in the Alcalde's chair, while Villegas had taken a chair from another room. Both had their feet propped up on the desk, and Zorro held back a smile when he thought of the fit Ramon would have if he saw that. The Alcalde always hated it when Zorro... decorated his desk with some imaginative carvings.

He did not fail to notice the bottle of alcohol and the half-full glasses each of the two men held. Being drunk in the Alcalde's office was starting to be something of a common habit, although Alvarez and his friend had significantly better taste in alcohol than Ramon, if the label of the bottle was to be trusted.

Zorro waited for something interesting to be said, listening intently to the conversation. Strangely enough, Clemente Villegas' voice sounded somewhat familiar, though he was certain he had never met the man before. Probably just a coincidence. He waited some more, not quite sure what he was looking for, but eavesdropping seemed like a good start, especially if the two men were drunk. Alcohol always loosened the tongue - which was one of the reasons why Diego had never allowed himself more than one or two glasses in a row since his return from Madrid.

After a while, the conversation between the two men drifted from the retelling of old stories to a more interesting subject, and Zorro pricked up his ears.

"...Really loved it!" Villegas was saying loudly. "The look on his face! He didn't have a clue."

"Yes, and it better stay that way, understood?" Alvarez replied curtly. "I don't want to see you anywhere near Luis' cell."

Villegas sighed. "You sure? At least let me kill him myself, then."

"Not so loud!" the capitán hissed. "We have to be discreet. Kill him if you like, but you'll follow my instruction to the letter, if you don't want to end up dead too."

Jumping to his feet, face flushed, Villegas faced his friend. "Is that a threat?" His words were slurred and he sounded drunk.

"A warning. If we are to succeed, nobody must suspect anything, especially that we might have a hand in Luis' death."

After that, the conversation resumed with less interesting matters, but Zorro had heard enough already. He waited thirty minutes or so longer, just to be sure, then left his hiding place as silently as he had come. As he treaded carefully on the unsteady tiles of the roof, he thought bitterly that it had been too good to be true. How could he have really thought that his fight was over with the emprisonment of Ramon ? He was beginning to wonder if he would ever be able to let Zorro rest in peace. Yes, he was doing some good, and he knew it, but it was a drop of good in an ocean of evil.

Yet, his immediate actions required little thought. He could not decently let the Alcalde be murdered, no matter how much he might deserve it. No matter how much of a nuisance the man might be in the future. Jumping silently on the ground, he walked to the prison. A lancer was standing guard, of course. He did not even see his assailant as Zorro hit him on the head with the handle of his sword, and he collapsed noiselessly to the ground. It was almost too easy.

Downstairs, Zorro swiftly took care of the second guard. Having found the keys, he headed to the cells. Fortunately, the Alcalde had not been in a mood lately to tyrannize the people of the pueblo, and the prison was empty save for one cell.

Unsurprisingly, Ramon was not sleeping - who could find slumber in such a situation as his? - but he eyed Zorro's sudden appearance with an understandable disbelief. Of all the people he had probably not expected to see, the masked outlaw was certainly at the top of the list.

"In case you're wondering," Zorro said as the Alcalde kept silent, "I'm neither a dream nor a hallucination."

Ramon sighed and slumped back on his cot. "Come to gloat, have you?" he asked harshly. "I suppose I am the laughingstock of the whole pueblo."

"I have other things to do with my time than gloat, if you want to know," Zorro replied impatiently. He was not in the mood for any Ramon-ish spite.

"Then why are you here?"

"To talk. And to help you, though I can't believe I'm actually doing this. Did you kill your brother?"

Ramon snorted. "Of course not! Besides, if I even wanted to kill him..."

"...You would have had many occasions to do so," Zorro finished. "I thought as much. You've been framed, and your brother has probably been killed by an enemy of his. For some reason, you're next on the list."

If nothing else, that truly caught the Alcalde's attention. "What?"

"I don't know why," Zorro explained, "but Alvarez and his friend Villegas want to kill you."

Ramon's eyes widened in alarm, and he jumped to his feet. "Get me out of here!"

The Alcalde was not the kind of person to ask nicely for anything. As it was, he made a demand when any sensible person would have prayed, and Zorro was sorely tempted to make him beg for his release. But there was no time, and it was not Zorro's way. He opened the cell, and Ramon strode out. He was about to make for the exit, but then he hesitated and looked at Zorro. There was an awkward pause.

"And now what?" the Alcalde finally asked.

Zorro considered the matter. He couldn't take action if he did not know what Alvarez and Villegas were up to. In the meantime, the only thing to do was to hide the Alcalde from them. But where? There was no way he would ever show his den to Ramon. He just did not trust him. But Alvarez would probably hunt him through the whole pueblo. Where would the Alcalde be safe?

Whom could Zorro trust with this unpleasant guest?

There was only one answer to that question. And she was going to kill him.

"Come on," he said. "I'll find you a place to hide."

"Hide?" Ramon hissed. "Why can't we confront Alvarez and Villegas and make them confess?"

"Because," Zorro answered curtly, "that will accomplish nothing. We will do things my way, or I'll let you cope by yourself. Believe me, I will."

Ramon glared, and his saviour glared back for some time. But eventually, the Alcalde dropped his gaze, effectively admitting his defeat. He needed Zorro, he knew it, and that probably humiliated him more than anything Zorro could have said or done.

"Follow me," Zorro instructed, and this time the Alcalde complied dumbly.

Getting out of the building was a joke. The two guards were still unconscious, and nobody had come yet to relieve them. When Zorro reached the entrance, he glanced outside to make sure it was safe to leave. He thought he saw a move, and his eyes dwelled at the corner of a building. He could have sworn he had seen Sergeant Mendoza, but he had to be mistaken. At this time of the night, the sergeant was probably tucked under his blankets, peacefully snoring. Not a sound could be heard but the breathing of the Alcalde behind Zorro, and he turned back.

"Everything's clear," he said in a hushed tone. "Follow me and don't make any noise."

The two men walked out carefully. They were exposed in the moonlight for only a few seconds, then found themselves back in the comforting shadows of a nearby building. After that, it was only a minute before they were on the plaza. Even in the dark, Zorro had no difficulty finding the building he was looking for: Victoria's inn. He knocked softly at the window of the young woman's bedroom. When no answer came, he knocked again, a little louder, and this time heard the shuffling of feet as somebody got up and came to open the window. Because she was living at street level, Victoria slept with her windows closed in spite of the warmth.

Her face betrayed surprise, then delight when she saw the man she loved. Her smile was almost as beautiful as in Diego's reverie of the previous afternoon.

"Zorro!" she whispered. "Come in!"

He could not help but notice she was only wearing a nightgown, and thanked heaven that he was wearing a mask and that it was too dark anyway for the young woman to notice his blush. However, there was no way in hell he would ever let Ramon see her in this appearance. She was his.

"I'm not alone," he murmured. "Can you open the door?"

"Oh." Looking rather embarrassed, she nodded, and a moment later opened the front door. Zorro was relieved to see that she had taken the time to throw a dressing gown over her nightdress. "Enter," she invited him.

He complied and stepped inside, followed by Ramon. Victoria gaped when she saw who Zorro was with, but her surprise was soon replaced with anger, and she folded her arms, straightening as she glared at the man she loved.

"Just what is this about?" she demanded to know, her voice rather frosty.

"I can explain," Zorro assured her in a whisper. "Let's go in the kitchen, we wouldn't want to wake up your customers."

Victoria did not look exceedingly happy to be ordered around in her own inn, but she complied nonetheless and led the way to the kitchen. Following her, Zorro could not help but notice the sideways door that opened onto her bedroom, but he firmly set his eyes aside. As much as he would have liked to be with Victoria in her room, it would hardly have been proper for her to be there alone with two men in the middle of the night. Not that it was very proper for her to be anywhere with two men in the middle of the night, but they did not really have a choice in the matter.

Entering the dark kitchen, Zorro had to be careful where he treaded. He remembered just in time the stool that usually stood in the middle of the room, and sidestepped to avoid it before going further. From the thud he heard behind him, and the soft profanity that followed, he assumed Ramon had not remembered about the stool, and he allowed himself a small smile. Then Victoria lit a candle and set the candlestick back on the table. The flickering light of the candle was very soft, but seemed blinding after the darkness.

"Now, you'd better have a good explanation," Victoria warned him. "And I suggest you begin by explaining just what he is doing here." She waved an accusatory finger towards the Alcalde, who scowled at being treated with such discrespect.

"To cut a long story short," Zorro said, "I suspect he was wrongly accused of murder, and I want to shed light on this matter. I have reasons to believe Capitán Alvarez and his friend Villegas are not what they seem to be."

"Is that so?" Somehow, Victoria did not seem completely convinced. "And how did you reach this brilliant conclusion?"

"I overheard them talking. They said plainly they intended to get rid of the Alcalde without so much as a trial."

"Not that he deserves one," the young woman muttered.

"Victoria," Zorro said softly, yet adamantly. "Everybody deserves a trial. It is a matter of justice."

"Hmph."

He could tell she was not convinced, but now was not the time to discuss it, and he took a deep breath, knowing she would not like what he was going to say.

"I need you to hide the Alcalde until we know what all this is about."

Victoria looked at him silently, and Zorro looked back nervously, wondering what she was thinking. She made up for the belatedness of her answer with its acridity. "What? You must be joking!"

Zorro winced. "Not so loud!" he hissed.

"You can't sincerely expect me to shelter an assumed murderer!"

"I did not kill anyone!" Ramon protested loudly, ignoring Zorro's glare.

Victoria merely stared at him.

"Well, not directly. And I definitely did not kill my brother. I'm innocent!"

"That's what they all say," she snorted back.

"You can't sincerely mistake me for a common murderer."

"Who said anything about a mistake?" Victoria shot back viciously.

"I did!"

"Shut. Up. Both of you!" Zorro commanded in a dangerously soft voice, and fortunately it was enough to catch their attention. "Unless you want to wake up the whole town. Victoria, I would not ask this of you if I had a choice, but I do not. Without your help, the Alcalde will be caught, and that's a death warrant for him. I know you would not want to have a death on your conscience."

She hesitated, but her resistance was weakening, he could almost feel it. "Do you realize what would happen to me if he was caught here?"

"You know I would never let anything happen to you. Victoria, please," he said, so softly that only she could hear him.

The young woman sighed, and lowered her head. "Damn you," she said morosely. "I'll do it."

"Thank you." Zorro glanced at the Alcalde warningly, in a way that clearly meant, 'You'd better be a perfect gentleman with her.' Ramon pretended to look wounded, but Zorro did not like at all the small smile he saw tugging at the man's lips. "Now," he said abruptly, "we need to cooperate if we are to figure out this affair. To begin with, Alcalde, what do you know about Capitán Rodrigo Alvarez and his friend Clemente Villegas?"

Leaning back onto the wall, Ramon frowned. "What makes you think I know anything about them?"

Zorro's patience was beginning to wear thin. The Alcalde had better behave, he thought savagely, if he did not want to finish the night with a few bruises. All right, so it was not Zorro's way to harm those he was protecting (although the mere idea of 'protecting' the Alcalde was laughable) but in this particular case, it was sorely tempting. Tantalizing, even.

"Don't try to play games with me, Alcalde," he said calmly. "You are not in a position to win. I am your best chance and you know it, so you better cooperate fully. Either that or I leave you to your own devices. I warned you once already and this is the second time. There will be no third time."

Clearly unhappy with the situation, Ramon nodded reluctantly. "I do not know who Villegas is. I hardly saw him at all, anyway. As for Alvarez, he was more or less a friend of the family. I never quite got along with him, but he was in good stead with my father and brothers."

Zorro waited, but nothing more came. "That's all?" he asked, surprised.

"I have not seen my family in years," Ramon shrugged. "And as I said, I did not get along with Alvarez, and I certainly never sought his company. Apart from that I only know that his family has a certain wealth and influence, but he is a fourth son and therefore has little hope to inherit anything. Which is probably the reason why he ended up in the military."

"Well, what about his character? Is he the kind of man who would commit murder?"

"He would have murdered me, if what you said is true," the Alcalde pointed out dryly.

"We all sympathize so much with your predicament," Victoria mumbled through her teeth, her voice dripping with irony. Somewhat offended, Ramon made a point of ignoring her, and Zorro cast the young woman a chastising look. She held his gaze, not looking sorry the slightest, and he gave up, rolling his eyes.

"All right, so let's say Alvarez is a potential murderer," Zorro stated, trying to get back on track. "What would be his motive?"

"How should I know?" Ramon replied in annoyance. He approached the table, and his eyes dwelled on a loaf of bread. "I think I'll have some of that, if you don't mind..."

"As a matter of fact, I do," Victoria said, sending him a dark look.

"Victoria," Zorro sighed. "You can't starve him."

She gave him a dirty look, but relented and sat down on one of the benches alongside the table.

"We must devise a plan," Zorro continued, with the distinct feeling that he was the only one in the room trying to get anywhere. "Problem is, we do not know enough about Alvarez's intentions, and I somehow doubt he would have been so stupid as to scatter proof of his guilt anywhere in Los Angeles. So..."

Chewing on his bread, Ramon waited for more, while Victoria, lips pursed, made it clear through her stance that she did not feel very concerned by whatever happened to the Alcalde. Then again, she seemed to be on edge. But perhaps it was only because she did not appreciate being roused in the middle of the night.

"So?" Ramon finally prompted.

"I don't know," Zorro replied, irritated. "I don't always have all the answers, you know."

The Alcalde smiled gleefully. "It was almost worth being thrown in prison to hear you say that."

"If you have an idea, let's hear it. Otherwise, kindly keep your comments to yourself."

"I've got an idea," Victoria said vindictively. "What about we put him back in prison and let Alvarez carry on? No matter what, he can't possibly be any worse than the Alcalde."

Ramon looked positively hurt, and seemed about to protest, but Zorro spoke before he had time to say anything.

"I would not be so trustful in human nature..." he began, then broke off. His dark eyes began to glint mischievously. "You've got it, Victoria."

She looked surprised. "Got what?"

Patting her hand, Zorro grinned. "Our plan."

"I beg your pardon?" Ramon asked, suddenly looking a little worried.

"Hear me out, Alcalde..."

________________________________________________________________________________

Alejandro de la Vega was quite used to his son sleeping in, although he deplored it. Several times, he had dropped hints that he wished Diego would be more dynamic in the morning, but to no avail. Therefore he gave up waiting after eight o'clock and began eating breakfast on his own, once again.

He should not complain, really. Diego was a respectful son, clever, well-educated, good-mannered, always soft-spoken and not prone to losing his temper. He did not drink, was trustworthy and always did what was asked of him. Alejandro felt he was unfair when he expected more than his son was able to give, yet it was hard not to feel disappointed. Diego used to be such a brave boy, full of spirit and keen on protecting the weak. It had all changed after he left for Madrid, and later on Alejandro had often wondered if sending his son away had not been a mistake. How Diego could have changed that much without him realizing it? Yet, the result was in front of him. So when had he failed? Or was it simply Diego's nature, and had it been so all along?

Sighing again, Alejandro picked up a galletas and began to nibble at it. He did not mean to judge his son. Diego was an adult, and made his own decisions, and he could not be blamed for not trying to better himself. Several times, Alejandro had surprised him practicing his swordsmanship with Felipe's help. And he had witnessed his son being humiliated and disarmed by a child. Of course, it was much to his credit that Diego had accepted defeat with good grace, but it had made it obvious in Alejandro's eyes that his son was a poet, not a swordsman.

Firmly, the older de la Vega discarded these thoughts. He loved Diego no matter what, and accepted him as he was.

But if he did not lie to himself, he could not deny that he wished his son would be more ambitious.

Hearing a shuffling of feet behind him, Alejandro turned back and had the pleasant surprise to see that, for once, Diego had made an effort and was up early. Awfully early, according to his son's standards.

"Good morning, Diego! Have a seat, will you?"

"Good morning, father," Diego replied as he followed his father's advice and sat down.

"Have a galletas. Is today a special occasions?"

"Oh, no," Diego said nonchalantly. "Just thought I'd go to town."

"Go to town?" Alejandro repeated in surprise. "Whatever for? We went there only yesterday."

"Oh, well, I just thought I'd drop by, have a drink with Sergeant Mendoza."

His son was like an open book to him, Alejandro thought. He wished the boy would get past his infatuation with Victoria, since the innkeeper had never shown any interest in Diego, and he doubted she ever would. He did not want to see his son heartbroken, but he could not very well stand in his way either, just offer fatherly advice when needed or wanted. Right at the moment, any advice he could give was probably neither, so he would just have to resign himself.

"All right," Alejandro nodded, "say hi to Victoria for me."

Diego lowered his head in his cup of hot chocolate to hide a blush, and his father had a forgiving smile.

________________________________________________________________________________

Sergeant Mendoza's day had begun in a much less satisfactory manner than Don Alejandro's. First, he had had to get up at dawn because of the inspection the new Alcalde intended to conduct. Rank had its privileges, but also its inconveniences, and one of those inconveniences was ensuring each man had his equipment in order, cleaned his rifle, polished his boots, and a thousand other trifles. Mendoza really hoped Capitán Alvarez would not make it a habit to inspect the garrison, because he felt he would not survive it. He had not even had time to have breakfast and already felt weak out of hunger.

Of course, that was what happened when you had a military man as the new Alcalde. Luis Ramon had his faults, but at least he never bothered with inspections, even if he still found plenty of reasons to yell at Mendoza, over the pettiest things.

Ramon... Mendoza felt downright uneasy when that name came to his mind. The prisoner's escape had been reported to him earlier that morning, and he was not looking forward to facing Alvarez when the Capitán was informed. He did not seem like the kind of man who would take kindly to what could only be called incompetence, even if Mendoza felt it completely unfair to mention incompetence wherever Zorro was involved. The Fox had tricked cleverer men than him, and repeatedly so, and Zorro's involvement in the Alca... well, the ex-Alcalde's escape, was as certain as the fact that private Ramirez, who had been guarding the prison, would be needing a new uniform, since the slashed 'Z' was certainly not within the regulations.

Still uneasy, Mendoza finished his preliminary inspection of the barracks. As he came out, a slightly disheveled and out-of-breath lancer rushed to him.

"The Alcalde... asking for you..." the lancer gasped while trying to catch his breath.

The sergeant closed his eyes. "Madre de dios," he muttered weakly.

Dismissing the lancer with a wave of his hand, Mendoza pattered quickly towards the Alcalde's office. It still felt strange to think of the Alcalde as somebody else than Ramon, who had been in office for years. At least with him, Mendoza knew roughly what to expect, and how to escape most of his wrath in one piece. Having no prior knowledge of how to deal with Alvarez, he could only do his best and hope to get out of the office unscathed. In any case, it was probably better to knock.

"Enter!" called an irritated voice through the door.

Mendoza complied, closed the door behind him and saluted. The Alcalde - well, the new Alcalde... lord, that was going to take some time getting used to it - was standing in front of the window, but his friend Villegas was nowhere in sight. Truthfully, Villegas' absence did not exceedingly sadden Mendoza. Alvarez let the sergeant squirm for a moment, before speaking at last.

"I was informed that Luis Ramon escaped last night." Turning away from the window, Alvarez glared at a rather nervous Mendoza. He had not expected the Capitán to find out about the escape so soon. "Next time," the Alcalde continued threateningly, "I expect to hear that kind of news from you, not a lowly subordinate."

"Of course, mi Alcalde," Mendoza said quickly. "But I was myself only informed a few minutes ago, and, erm..." he racked his brains for a good excuse, but thankfully Alvarez did not give him time to finish his sentence.

"Never mind that. What matters now is to catch this dangerous criminal as soon as possible. I trust you've sent lancers after him?"

"Ah, hum, that is, I was about to..."

Alvarez gave the sergeant a look that very clearly meant, 'Just what kind of a fool are you?' and Mendoza could not help but feel relieved he did not have to provide an answer.

"You will do it at once. You will also announce to the town... ah, never mind, I'll do it. Just have somebody drum up a gathering on the plaza."

Buckling his belt with his sword around his waist, Alvarez strode outside, followed by Mendoza, who hurried to take the actions required by the new Alcalde. He sent young Private Garcia ahead with the drum, and made his way through the crowd that was starting to gather around Alvarez. He had no idea what the new Alcalde was going to announce to the pueblo, but he had a feeling it was not going to please the townspeople. Yet, in spite of the circumstances, it was also his job to see to it that nothing happened to the man in office. It was a good thing that the people of Los Angeles were reasonable fellows.

When he felt enough people had assembled to hear him out, Alvarez began his speech.

"People of Los Angeles, yesterday I came to rid you of the criminal individual who led this pueblo for the past few years."

Well, that did not start too badly, Mendoza thought.

"However, this man, Luis Ramon, escaped last night, no doubt through treachery and with the complicity of the people. For years now, under this dubious individual's rule, the most appalling things have happened, the least of which is not the case of the outlaw known as Zorro. This town leaves much to be desired, and I tell you know such unlawful behaviour will no longer be tolerated!"

So much for not starting too badly.

"Both Zorro and Luis Ramon must be stopped, for the security of this pueblo and its people. For that reason, I am offering a reward for these two individuals, dead or alive, of five thousand pesos!"

The crowd was beginning to murmur and rumble. More than a few men were openly glaring at Alvarez, who seemed to be blissfully unaware of the reaction his words were triggering.

"On the other hand, anybody offering them shelter, or helping these two men in any way, will be severely punished. An example must be made, and I will be ruthless. I will accept no trouble in this pueblo."

"Zorro has always been a protector of the people!" an anonymous man among the crowd called out.

"This is exactly the kind of behaviour I was referring to!" Alvarez shouted. "This pueblo is out of control, and since you support Zorro so openly, then you shall have to pay for it! There will be enquiries, and anyone who had helped Zorro in the past will be made to pay twice the normal amount of taxes! And I am warning you that 'helping Zorro' includes not doing everything you can to help his capture!"

Given the past history of the pueblo, that meant that almost everybody could be made to pay double taxes, and that cooled down the throng rather effectively. Protesting any more would not help Zorro much, but might cost dearly, and all were aware of that.

"That is all!" Alvarez concluded. "You may get back to your business, and pass the word."

The new Alcalde walked back into his office and Mendoza followed meekly, quite relieved to find himself out of sight of the crowd outside. He wondered if Alvarez realized how much his speech had made him an enemy of the pueblo already.

"I think I made myself quite clear," Alvarez said smugly, and that answered Mendoza's questions : he did not seem to have come across any kind of realization. Harder would be the fall. "From now on", the new Alcalde added, "they will think twice before aiding criminals, Sergeant, don't you think? Now, in regard to this Zorro..."

However, Mendoza would never know what Alvarez had planned in regard to Zorro, for the new Alcalde was interrupted by the distinctive sound of broken glass, as a small object passed forcefully through the window and landed at the sergeant's feet. Without thinking, he reached for the small object, which turned out to be a written message attached to a small stone. Alvarez had run to the window, but was disappointed to see nothing conspicuous, so he walked back to his desk and glanced at the message.

"What does it say?" he asked imperiously, and Mendoza opened the message, carefully avoiding to tear up the paper. He was not a good reader to begin with, so there was no need to make things any more difficult.

"It says, 'If you want Luis Ramon, you will find him hiding at the abandoned San Gabriel Mission.' And it is signed, 'one of his enemies.'" Mendoza paled when he realized what he had just read, and he hastily put the paper down on the desk as though it burned his fingers. "Hum, do you want me to send the lancers, mi Alcalde?"

Alvarez seemed to consider that for a while, then shook his head. "If you send a whole company, they'll be noticed three miles away. No, leave that to me. I'll handle it."

"Yes, mi Alcalde," the sergeant murmured, feeling miserable and relieved at the same time. He definitely did not want to be caught between the old and new Alcaldes. Both would have his head, if that was the only thing they ever agreed on.

"Dismissed," Alvarez said absent-mindedly, and Mendoza did not need to be told twice, glad to escape the cramped atmosphere of the Alcalde's office.

____________________________________________________________________________

Diego had witnessed the new Alcalde's speech, though he had done his best to remain inconspicuous. Alvarez was insane to treat the people of Los Angeles like that, he thought. He felt concerned, not for the safety of the despicable Alvarez, but for the people. If this masquerade of law and justice kept up, sooner or later there would be an uprising. And if that happened, troops would be sent to Los Angeles, and it would be a massacre. Diego had to prevent that from happening, and that was exactly what he intended to do.

He did what he had come to Los Angeles for and rode back immediately to the de la Vega hacienda, though he glanced wistfully at Victoria's inn as he went by. However, he had no time to waste if he did not want to be late.

His father was in the living-room. Diego had hoped to go immediately to his room, but Alejandro had something else in mind. When he heard his son's footsteps, he popped his head out of the door and motioned him inside.

"What is it, father?" Diego asked, as he complied with the unspoken request.

Alejandro looked positively furious, though he kept himself in check; but Diego had known him too long not to notice the way he bit his lips and clenched his fists.

"Have you seen what happened in town this morning?" the older de la Vega finally exploded.

"Hum, yes," Diego replied prudently. He knew it was going to be one of these moments, when it was the hardest to keep acting like a weak-minded coward in front of his father.

"Don Sebastian was here a moment ago and told me everything. Doubling the taxes! This man is insane! Even Ramon would not have dared going that far! He has to be stopped, Diego, at any cost!"

"From what I understand," Diego objected meekly, "the governor of California will be here in a few days to name the next Alcalde. We can wait that long. He won't be able to ignore the pleas of the people."

Alejandro looked even more furious, but then he sighed and he simply looked disappointed. Seeing his own father look at him like that tightened Diego's throat, but he had to act his part, no matter what.

"I thought you would say that," Alejandro said simply. "I intend to speak about it with other caballeros, but it might be better if you don't take part in these talks."

That hurt, Diego realized as he forced himself to nod and leave. He knew he must look quite pale, and he also knew his father probably thought that was because he was relieved that he did not have to take part in revolutionary talk. Of course, his father still loved him, and would love him no matter what, but that only made his disappointment more acute. He had always known, ever since he had returned from Spain, that his new persona as Diego would not be the son his father wanted - not a son his father could be proud of. But facing Alejandro now was harder than he had expected. Yet, he could not tell him, because... because... why? Because he might accidentally betray the secret? Didn't Diego trust him? The feeble arguments he had thought of at the time seemed now weaker and weaker.

He was afraid, Diego suddenly understood. Afraid of what his father's reaction would be if he were to tell him the truth. What if he was furious his son had taken such risks without telling him? What if that did not change the way he saw Diego, as a weak-minded coward? What if - and that one was the worst - what if he did not believe him? How often he had said that Diego never could be a great man as Zorro...

Sighing, the young man made his way to his room. Unfortunately, he was in a hurry, and as much as it might have hurt his pride, the fact that his father had other business to attend to and would not expect to see him for a good while actually made things easier for him. Walking to the fireplace, he opened the entrance to the secret passage, and walked down to the room where he led most of his experiments, and where he also kept Zorro's clothes. Diego quickly donned them, put on his mask and fastened his belt with his sword. Then came the hat, and he strode to the cave where Tornado was kept.

Felipe was there waiting for him, with Tornado already harnessed, and Diego thought not for the first time that he did not know how he would have managed without the boy to help him. On numerous occasions, Felipe had proven to be trustworthy, intelligent and brave. Plus he had given Diego the respect everybody else denied him. Of course, a lot of people liked him, but in a condescending manner. When his own father did not respect him, how could he expect anyone to look up to him?

Felipe made a motion with his hands, snapping Zorro back to reality.

"What? Oh, how long will I be gone? I don't know, a few hours I expect. If my father asks, tell him I've decided to go out for a walk with a book of poetry. He'll have no trouble believing that," Diego concluded with just a hint of bitterness. "Now I must be going, or I'll be too late, and I doubt the Alcalde would ever forgive me for that."

___________________________________________________________________________________

Luis Ramon had never been a patient man, but under the circumstances even a saint would have begun to get flustered. He was bored, he was hungry, he was thirsty, and he was sick and tired of waiting. The abandoned San Gabriel Mission was just that: abandoned. Only ruins remained.

All this was Rodrigo's fault, he reflected. Only he would dare accuse Luis of murdering his own brother. To think that only a few years ago, Vicente and Rodrigo had been the best friends in the world, and that now Rodrigo would try to use Vicente's death to his own advantage... though Vicente would probably have done exactly the same thing if their roles had been reversed. Luis had never been the kind to have too many qualms about anything, but Rodrigo had gone too far this time.

Hopefully, if this crazy plan of Zorro's was successful, Rodrigo would soon be stopped. And thinking of Zorro... Ramon glanced around him; the damn fox was supposed to be watching, but he had not seen the slightest sign to prove that the outlaw was indeed there. But of course, Zorro was not supposed to be seen, lest their prey smell the trap and flee before they had time to get answers.

However, Ramon was still starting to regret he had agreed to this plan. The only reason why he had was that he did not have a better idea. Besides, it was in the fox's best interests to help Ramon; if Alvarez took definitely control of the pueblo, the people of Los Angeles would have hell to pay, that was for sure. The Capitán could seem charming when he wanted to, but Ramon had seen his true face more than once back when he still lived with his family, and he knew Alvarez could be even more ruthless than him. It might have been enjoyable to watch Rodrigo hunt Zorro down, no matter who of the two was defeated in the end, but not when Luis' job was at stake. It had been hard enough to secure it when he was only the fourth son of a reasonably wealthy and influent family. People might think he was greedy, but as a boy he had been given hand-me-downs and the such more often than not; he had sworn that would change. And if the people of Los Angeles had to pay for it, well, so be it.

Ramon sighed and sat down on one of the collapsed walls of the abandoned mission. If everything went according to plan - and that was a big if, in so far as he was concerned - upon receiving Zorro's anonymous message that would tell them where to find him, Rodrigo and his friend Clemente would try to get rid of him discreetly. They already intended to kill him, so they would take advantage of the occasion while they were far from the pueblo and no one would be the wiser. Everybody would just think that Ramon had fled, and nobody would shed a tear about it. He had no illusions about that. Except perhaps Mendoza, but Mendoza would cry for anything and anyone, from the death of a kitten to that of Zorro. Every once in a while, Ramon tried to push him around to see if the bumbling sergeant would show any sign of rebellion, but it never happened. If anything, Ramon could almost have believed that Mendoza enjoyed being pushed around.

The sound of hooves hitting the rocky path that led to the abandoned mission snatched Ramon back to reality, and he waited in anticipation, his heart beating faster in his chest. Without any conscious thought on his part, his hand moved down to the hilt of his sword. His instincts told him to hide, but it was part of the plan, and he needed to stay there. If anything he should have looked surprised to see someone show up, but he knew that went beyond his skills as an actor.

Finally the horse appeared in plain sight, a chestnut mare whose rider wore a hooded cloak. Ramon squinted, trying to make up the mysterious rider's features, but he was too far. His hand was clenched around the hilt of his sword; whoever the hooded man was, he was not wearing a uniform, so he could not have been sent officially by Alvarez. Which could mean only one thing; Zorro was right, and they had decided to kill Ramon while they had the chance, rather than capture him and give him a trial.

Well, no such luck, Ramon thought furiously. He and Zorro, that made it two of them against his executioner, as much as he hated to team up with the bane of his existence. But then another thought struck him, and he paled: what if the newcomer had a gun? How could he gave overlooked that possibility ? Zorro be damned !

But fortunately, that did not seem to be the case. In an eerie silence, the man dismounted, left his reins negligently thrown over the pommel of his saddle, and walked towards Ramon, who immediately unsheathed his sword and pointed it at him.

"Whoever you are," Ramon enunciated clearly, "drop your sword and surrender."

The hooded man laughed, and Ramon's blood turned cold in his veins, as his heart skipped a beat. He knew that laugh. He had heard it more often than he could remember. But that could not be...

"No..." he murmured, paling.

"I see you did not expect me," the man said, sounding amused.

"You are dead."

"That's what I wanted you to believe." A shrug. "I can't help it if you're so gullible."

"But the letter - a fake?"

"No, of course not, silly. It's much more complicated than that. I needed people to think I was dead to get them off my back, and with Rodrigo's help... but I'm not here to tell you my story," the man concluded.

He pushed back his hood, revealing his face. Even though he had expected what he was seeing, Ramon took a step back; it was himself he saw in front of him. Or rather, it was his dead twin brother, Vicente, who was very much not a ghost.

"I'm here to do what I tried to accomplish last time we saw each other," Vicente said as he drew his own sword.

Luis' sword was already unsheathed, but it hung loosely in his numb fingers. The shock made him stagger. He had thought his brother was dead. For the love of God, he had even mourned him, even after Vicente wanted to kill him! And now his twin was back again, and more intent than ever on murdering him...

Luis had never fancied himself to be a saint, but next to Vicente he was an angel. Then it was his turn to laugh, albeit a little bitterly. Why was he even surprised? Vicente had always been like that. He just had not realized it before.

Without a warning, Vicente moved forward and aimed at Luis' throat, obviously hoping to score a killing blow, but Luis' survival instinct kicked in and he parried just in time. His brother and he had fenced countless times before, and they knew each other's style intimately. But Vicente could not allow his brother to survive; he had planned this beforehand, he had readied himself for the kill.

Luis first only defended himself, then half-heartedly tried to deal his brother a blow. If he could only put Vicente out of action... then he could get answers out of him. But the attempt was really too reluctant, and Vicente countered it easily.

"Even for you, that was sloppy, Luis," he taunted.

What the devil was Zorro doing? Luis wondered desperately as he tried to fend off a series of daring attack on his brother's part. It had not taken Vicente long to understand his brother could not hurt him, and he was taking advantage of it, taking risks he would not normally have dared.  
It was certainly the first time in his life Ramon would be glad to see the masked bandit known as Zorro show up. But for the moment, it seemed he would have to manage by himself. Zorro was untypically late - unless he had double-crossed Luis, and was just watching the fight, hoping to get rid of him forever ?

"You can't kill me!" Ramon shouted. "Come to your senses, you fool!"

"Oh yeah? Dare me!"

Vicente took a step forward, and in a smooth motion pushed his brother's sword out of the way. Luis tried to dodge, and though he was not entirely successful, managed to avoid a deadly blow. Vicente ran his blade through Luis's shoulder and blood poured out, staining his white shirt. Pain and anger made him recover a little ground, and he attacked savagely, pushing his twin back a few meters. But he still could not kill or seriously hurt him, and the fight was turning back to Vicente's advantage when at long last, Zorro showed up and interposed his sword between the two brothers.

"You!" Vicente hissed, and he looked at Luis in disbelief. "It was a trap?"

"What did you think?" Luis replied coolly, jaw clenched.

With a cry of rage, Vicente threw his sword towards Zorro, effectively forcing him to dodge and lose his footing, then ran to his horse, and before anyone had time to stop him he spurred his mare to a quick gallop. Zorro whistled for his black stallion, but by the time Tornado showed up, Vicente was already out of sight, and Zorro shook his head with a sigh.

"Too late," he said regretfully. "Ah, well, that certainly was a surprise, seeing him again. A good surprise."

"Come again?" Ramon choked. "He tried to kill me! I could have died! What the hell were you doing? You were supposed to be nearby! Not picking up daisies!"

"Calm down, Alcalde," Zorro replied quietly.

Well, Zorro could be calm. It was not him who had just been nearly murdered by his own brother, Luis thought resentfully.

"And just why should I..."

"It's good news for you," the outlaw went on without paying attention to Ramon's protests, "because his being alive is a proof that you did not kill him."

"Oh."

Effectively, that made sense, but all that had happened in the last minutes was still a little much to take in. Deflated, Ramon sheathed his sword and sat down on the collapsed wall of the abandoned mission. Now that the excitement of the fight fell away, he felt horribly weak.

"Still," he said much more calmly but with still more than a little anger, "you could have hurried up a little."

"I was delayed," Zorro replied apologetically.

Delayed. It felt strange to think that Zorro could be delayed, much like any normal person. Some in the pueblo believed that the outlaw had unearthly powers. Ramon himself had to admit that the mask added a nice touch to Zorro's rather theatrical interventions, but he had always thought that he was above such superstitions. He would have to keep himself in check; Zorro was only a man, and as a man he could be unmasked and defeated. Ramon had been tempted more than once to do it in the past day, having had the opportunity on several occasions; but he needed the man's help too badly to risk antagonizing him now. As soon as he would be reinstated as Alcalde, however... all bets would be off.

"You must get back to Victoria's inn," Zorro said, "and I need to think about what we are going to do now. Vicente being alive changes everything, and luring him into a trap won't work again."

"I will veto any plan not submitted to me for approval," Ramon retorted promptly.

After this near-fiasco, he was through trusting Zorro. Well, not that he had really trusted him at any moment, but...

Zorro appeared vaguely surprised by his vivacity. "Of course. But - ah, never mind. Let me see your wound..."

He was about to take a look, but Ramon pushed his hand away. The last thing he needed was for his ever hated enemy to start taking care of his scratches... he winced. All right, perhaps that was a little more painful than a scratch. But his honour was at stake.

"I don't need your help," he said coldly.

Zorro seemed about to protest, but then rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Suit yourself. If you've got the strength to be your unbearable self, it cannot be very serious." He did not let time for an indignant Ramon to react to the insult. "I must leave for the moment, but I'll be back. We will have to wait until tonight to smuggle you back to town, it would be too dangerous during the day."

Ramon nodded reluctantly. Waiting for the whole afternoon in the ruins of an abandoned mission after getting beaten up and almost killed by his own brother, and having to be helped by Zorro of all people, was not his idea of an ideal day, but he had little choice under the circumstances, and he was realistic enough to accept it. That did not mean, however, that he had to be happy about it, and he glared at Zorro as he mounted Tornado and left. Then he tried to find a spot of shade and sat down. That was going to be a long, very long afternoon.

________________________________________________________________________________

That evening came all too soon in Zorro's opinion. He had had to fetch a grumpy Alcalde and take him back to town, all the while putting up with his complaints and groans. By the time they reached Los Angeles, Zorro was more than ready to strangle the Alcalde himself, but he did not, for he had now something even scarier to look forward to. He suspected that, after the new Alcalde's speech this morning, Victoria would not be very happy to see Luis Ramon come back. And indeed, when he knocked at her window, at almost midnight, she took one look outside before opening the front door and glaring at him.

"Do you know how much the new Alcalde offered as a reward for your head, and his?"

Zorro sighed and nodded. He was not sure what to say.

"And I bet he'll pay for that with the money of the taxes," she added bitterly. "But that," she added, sparing a venomous glare towards Ramon, "is nothing new."

"If you are afraid," Ramon replied sardonically, "we can always spend the night elsewhere."

He had meant to be ironic, but she seemed to take his words to the first degree and mellowed a little. "It's not like you have anywhere else to go. Come in, Alcalde."

To say that Ramon was surprised by Victoria being so nice all of a sudden would be an understatement, but he had never been one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Thank you," he answered as he entered, followed by a somewhat confused Zorro. Since when did Victoria speak civilly with the Alcalde?

As they had the previous night, they went into the kitchen, where they could talk in peace. On the table, there were two plates and some cold chicken and bread, much to Zorro and Ramon's surprise. Noticing their amazement, Victoria shrugged. "I figured you might be hungry," she explained.

"So you expected us," Zorro said, slightly annoyed that she had given him the cold shoulder when she had known all along they would be coming back, even though that had not been planned beforehand.

"That was not completely unlikely," she admitted, but did not look otherwise sorry for her earlier behaviour.

And why should she, really? Zorro wondered with a pang of guilt. He was putting her in danger, the very thing he attempted to avoid by not disclosing his identity to her. Of course, he was doing so only under the strain of the circumstances, but still... He had sworn to protect her, though. He would not allow anything to happen to her, she must know that. Did she not trust him?

Not bothered by such second thoughts, the Alcalde had already begun to eat with appetite, and Zorro joined him although he only nibbled at the food, having already had dinner. The ride had made him thirsty though, and he poured himself a glass of water.

"So," Victoria said, "you intended to catch someone when you prepared your trap. Since you're back, I take it you were not successful. What happened?"

Zorro recounted for her the events that took place at noon, and she looked suitably surprised to hear of Vicente's survival after the Alcalde had been accused of murdering him.

"I see you were wounded, Alcalde," she said, having noticed the dried blood on his shirt.

"That's only a scratch. And I'm no longer Alcalde," Ramon remarked.

Ramon was probably trying to be charming just to bother him, Zorro thought in annoyance. But Victoria did not seem to be offended. She reacted much differently than usual to Ramon's untypical kindness, but why ? She must have a reason...

"Oh, you know, I'm so used to calling you that," she said with a little smile, "I really can't help it."

"You could always call me Luis, Señora Escalante."

Zorro choked on his glass of water, but Victoria did not seem displeased by the offer. Quite the contrary, actually. "In that case, you must call me Victoria."

"That's settled then, Victoria!" Ramon said brightly, although he looked just as surprised as Zorro himself.

Zorro could only stare at them. What was the world coming to?

"I must insist you let me tend to your injury," Victoria insisted, making the scene even more surreal. Last night she had suggested sending Ramon back to jail, and now she was offering to clean his wounds? What had happened to her?

Having agreed, Ramon removed his shirt, and let Victoria take care of it. The wound really was not serious, but the Alcalde - there was no way Zorro would ever call him Luis, even if he offered, which he had not - seemed to be enjoying himself. Zorro was not. And that was the understatement of the century. Well, Ramon's behaviour did not surprise him; the Alcalde had always been one to take advantage of any occasion that presented itself, and she was a very attractive girl. But Victoria... ah, certainly her kindness could be explained by her natural compassion. She always reacted to people in return of how they reacted to her; lately, the Alcalde had been... more bearable than usual, so in turn she tried to be nicer. That had to be it.

All the same, that did not please Zorro to witness that.

He cleared his throat. "If we could get back to the matter at hand," he said frostily, glaring at Ramon. The Alcalde knew perfectly well what Victoria meant to Zorro.

On second thought, that was probably why he was bein so charming with her.

"Of course," Ramon finally said. "So what are we going to do?"

"I don't know," Zorro bit back sarcastically. "Any thoughts you'd like to share?"

The Alcalde shrugged. "You're the one who said you were going to give it some thought."

"And you're the one who has the most to lose," Zorro pointed out.

"Boys!" Victoria exclaimed. "This is going nowhere!"

Ungraciously, Zorro nodded. "We must capture Vicente, and use him as evidence when the Governor comes to Los Angeles to name the next Alcalde."

"And just how are we going to do that?" Ramon asked dubiously.

"I don't know," the fox confessed.

The Alcalde had a contemptuous snort, and that was all that Zorro could do not to hit him. He had had a trying day, and Ramon did not seem to be even trying to make things any easier.

"For the moment," Zorro added, "I'll just leave and give the matter some more thoughts. I'll be back when I have an idea, or if there is trouble."

"And if we need to contact you?" Ramon asked, obviously trying to sound innocent. But he would need a lot more training to fool Zorro.

"If you need me, Victoria can put a vase with flowers in front of her window. Now, I really must be going."

"Can't you stay and have a drink?" Victoria pleaded.

Zorro looked at her, confused. First, she flirted - there was no other word - with the Alcalde, whom she was suppose to despise just as much as Zorro himself did, and then she asked him to stay? He would really never understand women.

"I'm sorry," he declined, shaking his head. "But it is late already."

She pulled a face. "Fine. Then the Alca... I mean, Luis and I shall have a drink all by ourselves."

More than a little annoyed, Zorro glared at the Alcalde, silently warning him not to push his luck. "Goodbye."

He would have paid a dear price not to let Victoria alone with Ramon, but he really could not afford to stay much longer. Already it was one in the morning, and by the time he was back to the de la Vega hacienda and in his bed, it would be two o'clock at the very least. If he wanted to be up at a decent hour - even according to his standards - then he could not dwell any longer.

But even as he rode away, the thought was nagging him; why had Victoria been so nice to the Alcalde all evening?

___________________________________________________________________________________

The following days were among the most frustrating Diego had ever lived through. For the first time in years, he did not have an inkling of what he should do. Day and night, he had been riding around the pueblo, trying to find Vicente Ramon's hiding place, but always he ended up empty-handed. It was as if the man had disappeared from the face of the earth, after he had fled that fateful afternoon. Zorro knew the country better than most people, and had used every single hiding place in a radius of ten miles around Los Angeles at least twice. But Vicente was not in any of them.

As he could not find him, he had tried to think of an idea to get him out of his hiding place, but try as he might, nothing came to mind. To make things worse, the deadline was drawing nearer and nearer. The governor of California would soon be coming to Los Angeles; and if by the time he arrived, Luis Ramon's innocence had not been proven, and the governor named Alvarez as Alcalde - with was unfortunately quite likely - then the pueblo would be at his mercy. And Zorro preferred not to think about what might happen then.

His father shared his worries, but Alejandro had his own methods. He regularly gathered friends of his to talk about the situation and what they could do to change it, but Diego had not been invited to any of these talks since that other day, when he had declined. But since then, his father's scorn had been a little more pronounced. Just a little; Alejandro himself probably was not aware of the change. But Diego was, and it tormented him. Protecting Zorro's identity was crucial, not only for his safety but for his loved ones' as well, but what if it cost him his father's consideration and respect, and Victoria's love ? How much longer could he go on, and see each day his secrets push his loved ones away? A little farther every day, until they reached the limit and... what would he have accomplished then ?

When he had taken up Zorro's black mask, Diego had never expected the pretence to go on for years. It was a matter of months, he thought naively at that time. He would defend the people, and the Alcalde would understand his message, and everything would go back to normal. Zorro could disappear forever, and Diego could be happy. Only, things had not gone as planned. It had been years already, and there was no sign of the situation changing. If Zorro managed to keep Luis Ramon in office in spite of everything, then things would be as they were before Alvarez's arrival, and a disaster would be avoided, but the situation would still be far from ideal. How much longer then would he have to go on like this ? How much longer could he put aside his own feelings ?

The two people closest to Diego, apart from Felipe of course, were his father and Victoria. But Victoria saw him only as a childhood friend, a brother perhaps, and had only ever had eyes for Zorro, though she was obviously getting tired to wait, if she was nice with Ramon of all people; and his father had been so disappointed by him of late...

Was it really worth it, keeping his secrets all to himself, if it made the most important people in his life so unhappy?

______________________________________________________________________________________

The night had long since fallen, but Zorro did not need to see where he was going. He knew the town intimately, and could have walked through the streets with his eyes closed. An eerie silence surrounded him as he treaded softly towards Victoria's window and knocked lightly, just tapping the glass with the tip of his fingers. A moment later, the window opened, and Zorro slid lithely inside. Of course, he could have come inside by other means, but he wanted Victoria to have some privacy, so unless there was an emergency he always tried to knock first.

Yet, as most of the time there was an emergency, he did not knock very often.

"Zorro? What are you here for?" Victoria asked, looking hopeful yet wary of what he might ask of her this time.

She had every right to be wary. It was all his fault for not trusting her earlier, but that was going to change. "Victoria..." he murmured, his breath caught in his throat. He had to tell her, now, or he was going to lose his nerve. "I have come to speak to you. To make things right between us."

"What do you mean?" She was still wary, looking at him expectantly.

"I think it is time I dropped my mask. At least, when I am in your presence. I want you to know my secrets - all of my secrets, because I want you to know that... that I trust you."

"You... really? You mean that?" Victoria closed her arms around Zorro's waist, her face illuminated with a smile of pure joy.

"I always mean what I say," he replied softly.

Raising his arms to his head, he was about to untie the black silk of his mask, but Victoria caught his wrists in her fingers, still beaming. "Please, let me do it," she begged, and Zorro nodded. She deftly untangled the knot. For a moment, wistfully, she kept his face hidden, holding the mask herself, then with a sigh she let it slid from her fingers. Now unmasked, Zorro felt naked and vulnerable, but he would not move, leaving Victoria the initiative.

She stared at him for a moment, frozen, rooted to the spot, apparently unable to process the truth she had been presented with.

"Di... Diego?" At first she sounded lost, but then her face contorted in anger. "How dare you?! Do you think it's funny? Do you think it's some sort of a game?"

"Victoria! What are you talking about?"

"Oh, don't take me for a fool, Diego! It's bad enough that you tried to deceive me. I thought you were my friend!"

"I did not..." he tried to protest, but she would not listen.

"Did you think that, if you pretended to be Zorro, you could get me to love you? Well, it won't work, you hear me? You're just a coward; you never could be like Zorro! You made me hope, and then you murdered that hope! Go back to your books, Diego, and never approach me again!"

She was crying now, tears falling wildly down her cheeks. Diego was not sure how he found the strength to speak.

"Victoria, please!"

"Leave me alone!" She cried back, before running away from him.

Diego felt as though the world was collapsing around him, and he wanted to scream his anguish, but no sound crossed his lips. Victoria!

______________________________________________________________________________

Gasping, Diego woke up, his sheets entangled around his legs, his body covered in a cold sweat. It took him a moment to get his bearings back, and then he let out a sigh of relief that sounded more like a sob. Thank God, that was only a nightmare. None of it was real. It had just been his imagination, but only thinking about the dream sent shivers down his spine.

A look at the window told him that it was still dark outside, but the end of the night was near. There was no way he would go back to sleep after this nightmare, so he got up and used the pitcher on the table to refresh himself before donning his clothes and stepping out of his room. It was still way too early to have breakfast, so he made for the library. Ever since he was a child, he had always found comfort there. The bookish side of Don Diego de la Vega was not just pretence. The character of Diego himself was quite genuine - otherwise, he would not have been able to pretend for so long; he had merely concealed the more... dangerous aspects of his personality.

Having had a short night, he actually almost dozed off in a comfortable armchair, close to the last glowing embers in the fireplace, a book sprawled on his knees, but he jumped awake when his father came down to have breakfast, and he stood up to meet him. Alejandro's eyes widened when he saw his son up so early.

"Diego? I'm not used to seeing you at this time of the day," he said with a smile, but the smile turned to a frown when he examined his son more closely. "Are you all right? You look like you didn't get a lot of sleep. Are you sick?"

"No, no," Diego protested immediately. A doctor was the last thing he needed. "I'm fine, father. Just a bad dream."

He felt stupid saying it out loud, but Alejandro simply nodded knowingly and let the matter drop.

"In that case, come and have breakfast with me. Nothing like food to cheer you up!"

Diego nodded, and they took place around the table. Diego only nibbled at his food though, concerned as he was by the decision he knew he had to make. Should he tell his father the truth? Would it really be all right? Or would it make everything worse, just like in his dream? Was it already too late?  
No. He had to do it, if he was fair with himself and with his father.

"Father, I have something I want to tell y..."

"Diego, I wanted to tell you..." Alejandro said at the same moment.

They both trailed off, sharing a sheepish smile.

"Go ahead, Diego."

Oh no, no, no, he was not ready!

"No, father, hum... you... you go ahead, it's not very important anyway."

Alejandro shrugged and took a sip of coffee. "Well, I just wanted to tell you that I received news yesterday. I wanted to tell you sooner, but I did not see you much of late. So, anyway, I was told that the governor, Pablo Vicente de Sola, will arrive tomorrow in Los Angeles."

"Oh," Diego said nervously, twisting his spoon around his fingers. That did not leave him much time to find Vicente Ramon.

"I intend to see him, with a few other caballeros who share my feelings, to ask him if he would name somebody else than this Alvarez as Alcalde of the pueblo."

"Oh," Diego repeated stupidly. "Do you think that'll work?"

"I don't know, my son," Alejandro sighed. "But that's the best we can do. Now, you wanted to tell me something?"

"Hum, actually, I can't remember what it was," Diego lied hastily, all the while cursing himself for his cowardice.

"Ah. It must not have been very urgent then. It'll come back to you."

"Probably." Unfortunately, Diego doubted he would ever forget what he had tried to tell his father that morning. But he did not have time to dwell on it, for almost at the same moment, the illumination he had been waiting for came: he had a plan. There was little time left, but it would have to be enough.

Zorro would ride again tonight.

__________________________________________________________________________

As soon as it was dark enough to be safe, Zorro went to Victoria's inn. He could not afford to wait too long if he wanted his plan to work, and Luis Ramon would play a key role. As soon as Victoria and the Alcalde were gathered in the kitchen, Zorro went about explaining his idea.

"You see, it's very simple."

He tried to ignore the incredulous look Ramon gave him.

"I sent the message explaining where to find the Alcalde to Rodrigo Alvarez, but Vicente showed up instead. This can mean only one thing; Alvarez and Vicente know each other, and Vicente convinced Alvarez to let him discreetly dispatch his brother."

"And how does that brilliant deduction help us?" Ramon asked snidely.

"We are going to use your resemblance to your twin, but in our favour this time," Zorro explained. "Tonight, when Alvarez is alone, you will go to him and pass as Vicente. Then you can..."

"You want me to pass as Vicente?!" Ramon cut him, choking. "You can't be serious."

"Why not?" Zorro objected. "You look like him, after all."

"But if Rodrigo found out..."

Zorro had a snort of contempt. "Oh, don't worry, I'll be watching. If Rodrigo finds out who you are, I will cover your escape."

Ramon still looked dubious, but did not voice any further objection, much to Zorro's relief. Not only did he not have time for such pettiness, but also he was not in the mood to argue with the Alcalde.

"Be careful, Luis," Victoria said, and Zorro felt his mood darken further.

"We ought to be going already," he said dryly. Victoria never told him to be careful, he thought resentfully.

"Don't worry for me, Victoria," Ramon called over his shoulder as he followed Zorro - or rather, as Zorro dragged him outside.

_________________________________________________________________________

Alvarez was indulging in a late, after dinner glass of wine when Luis entered the office. Sneaking in had not been as difficult as he had thought it might be, especially with Zorro's help, and he made a note to himself to have a few words with Mendoza about it, as soon as he was reinstated as Alcalde. For the moment, he had other motives of worry; namely, the man who had put him to prison, Rodrigo Alvarez. He had looked up when Ramon entered, and scowled.

"Vicente, I thought you said you were going to bed. You're not being very careful."

Luis' heart beat faster in his chest as he realized the deception was working. Of course, that also meant that Zorro was right - he hated it when Zorro was right. But it was a small price to pay to get the confession that would hand him his twin brother on a silver plate. He had not been able to hurt his twin when they were fighting, but that did not mean Vicente would not get quite an earful from him. And that was the understatement of the century.

"Nobody saw me," Luis said in what he hoped was a casual manner. "There's nothing to fear."

"I know you're not in an easy position, but be a little patient," Rodrigo replied. "Tomorrow, the governor will be there and he will name me as the new Alcalde. In three months we'll have all the money of a year's tax in this pueblo, and then we can go back to Europe."

"What about my baby little brother?"

Luis had always loathed that ridiculous nickname Vicente gave him - his twin was only three minutes older, for crying out loud! - but he felt it made the masquerade more believable. He just hoped Zorro did not hear that part of the conversation, or he would never live it down.

"Oh, him." Alvarez waved his hand dismissively. "Even if we don't kill him, he'll be a convicted murderer. Nobody will listen to him. Besides, our business would be much less risky if you had not shown yourself to him, and to this Zorro."

"I did not know Zorro would be there," Luis said.

"You should have kept your disguise. But anyway, let's not cry over spilt milk. Let's celebrate my future nomination as Alcalde of the pueblo! Here, have a drink."

He handed a glass to Ramon, who recognized it as his favourite crystal of Majorca. The wine itself was the best he had in his cellars. He glared at Alvarez, who fortunately was to busy drinking to notice.

Having finished his drink, Alvarez stood up and stretched. "Now, it's late and I'm going to bed. You should do the same, but for the love of Christ, be careful! Nobody must find out you and Clemente Villegas are one and the same."

Completely taken by surprise, Ramon staggered under the shock. Clemente was Vicente? Or rather, Vicente was Clemente? Good lord, he knew there was something familiar with Clemente, but he had not thought that... oh, that explained everything. He could have kept looking for Vicente for a long time - and all the while, his brother was right under his nose!

Frowning, Alvarez stared at him. "Are you all right? You look a little pale."

"I'm fine," Luis somehow managed to say. He mumbled an excuse about being more tired than he thought and went out, feeling an almost physical need to be out of Alvarez's sight. All was clear now. Vicente had probably faked his own death, then used his resemblance with Luis to accuse him of the deed and get him removed as Alcalde. His friend Alvarez had managed to convince the governor of California that he was the right man to replace Luis. Then, the both of them had plotted Luis' death, so that no one ever knew the truth and they could lay their hands on the money of the taxes of the pueblo. Well, stealing the money was fair game - Luis himself had never had any qualms using the taxes for his own purposes - but killing his own brother... all right, so that was not the first time Vicente tried it, but Luis had never believed he truly would go through with it. And to plan such a murder, in cold blood...

What kind of a family do I have? he wondered.

A ruffle of clothes told him that Zorro had somehow landed just behind him. He could not turn and face the outlaw now. He felt humiliated like never before when he thought his worse enemy had witnessed the scene with Rodrigo.

"You've heard," he said tonelessly.

"Yes," came the expected reply.

If Zorro said he was sorry, Luis knew he was going to hit him. He did not, but the silence was unbearable.

"Well, we know the truth now," Luis said bitterly.

"Indeed," Zorro agreed. "Tomorrow, when the governor arrives, we will confront Alvarez and your brother, and you will be reinstated." A silence. "I hope you do not forget this lesson, Alcalde."

Features contorted in rage, fist clenched, Luis swung round, but already Zorro had disappeared. All that he could do now was to go back to Victoria's inn, and await the morning. Glumly he began to walk.

Victoria. Another mystery. She had never seemed to be attracted to him, though he had - every now and then - indulged in a fantasy about her. After all she was very pretty. But in the past day, she had been very nice to him... and strangely enough, she had been especially nice with Luis whenever Zorro was around. He smiled; it did not take a very clever mind to understand what it was all about, and he had nothing against making Zorro squirm a little, so he had played along.

Zorro really was helpless as long as love was involved.

__________________________________________________________________________

The arrival of the governor of California in Los Angeles was quite a bit of an event. Actually, that was the first time in almost ten years that he had come to Los Angeles, and by mid-morning, half the population was in the street and the plaza was teeming with people. Alejandro had come in the aim of making the governor understand that naming Rodrigo Alvarez the Alcalde would be a serious mistake. He had wanted Diego to come, but his son was nowhere to be found. According to Felipe's vague explanation, Diego had gone out for a walk. Diego was going out for walks very often, lately. As a matter of fact, Alejandro had gotten the impression that, for some reason, his son was avoiding him, though he could not fathom why. Perhaps he should talk to him when he got back...

Alejandro knew the governor was arriving before his coach was even in sight, for a tremor ran through the crowd as the people closest to the road relayed the information. Soon enough, Governor Pablo Vicente de Sola and his escort made a theatrical entrance and people stepped aside to let them pass. Finally, de Sola's coach jerked to a stop, and a man clad in bright clothes stepped out. White-haired, he appeared to be in his late fifties, and Alejandro felt slightly more confident. A man the same generation as him would certainly listen to common sense.

However, the governor had no time to say anything before somebody else made another theatrical entrance. Two men, actually, both well-known by everyone in Los Angeles, though for widely different reasons. One, clad in black, was the hero of the people. The other, stiff and arrogant, was the bane of the pueblo. And both were hunted men, who yet dared to show themselves in plain sight, in the middle of the day, in front of the highest authority in California. Still, nobody tried to stop them. The crowd opened in front of Zorro like the Red Sea parted for Moses, and the notorious outlaw and saviour of the people reined in his horse before the governor.

"What is the meaning of this?" de Sola demanded to know, frowning.

One of his guards raised his rifle, but the governor stopped him with an imperious gesture of his hand.

"Your Excellency," Zorro said, his voice clear and loud so everybody could hear, "I have come to beg for an audience."

"Seems to me you have taken an audience without really asking," de Sola observed with surprisingly good humour. "Why are you wearing a mask?"

"It's just terribly comfortable," Zorro replied. "I think everyone will be wearing them in the future."

One of the guards near the governor murmured something to his ear, though not very discreetly. From where he was, Alejandro distinctly heard the words "Zorro," "infamous," and "outlaw". De Sola nodded briefly and switched his attention back on the two riders.

"So you are this infamous Zorro I've heard so much about."

"I am indeed," the outlaw replied, removing his hat with a flourish. "And proud to be."

"As much as I find this encounter interesting, I have business to attend to. However, I assume you had a reason to show yourself in front of me, Señor Zorro. Please explain yourself, so I can have my guards capture you and get on with the matter that brought me to Los Angeles in the first place."

"I will be glad to oblige," Zorro assured him as he put his hat back on. "Here with me is Alcalde Luis Ramon, who was wrongly accused of having murdered his twin brother, Vicente Ramon. I have reason to believe that Rodrigo Alvarez was involved in this deception as well. Vicente and Alvarez wanted to steal the tax money and then flee to Europe, where they would have been mostly safe from the law of California. I stand as witness, having heard Alvarez confess to these crimes."

The governor's eyebrows shot up to his hairline, and he stared at Zorro for a moment. "This is... quite a tale. Certainly, you do not really expect me to believe that, yes?"

"I can prove it."

"Is that so?" de Sola asked disbelievingly. "Go ahead, then."

"The man who calls himself Clemente Villegas, and was introduced as a friend of Rodrigo Alvarez, is in fact Vicente Ramon, disguised," Zorro said.

Everybody had listened with rapt attention as the man in black told his story, and Alejandro found himself fascinated as well. It sounded like a wild tale, of course, and no one could blame the governor for being incredulous. Yet, somehow, it all seemed to make sense. At the very least, this unlikely story explained all the little things that were not quite right, but that nobody seemed able to put a finger on.

However, the governor appeared to be getting a little impatient.

"Enough of this nonsense," he said with a hint of irritation. "Somebody get Capitán Alvarez and his friend Villegas here so they can answer to these ludicrous accusations!"

That was the moment Sergeant Mendoza chose to make his appearance. He looked like he would prefer to be anywhere else, but he bravely made his way to the governor.

"Ah, hum, your Excellency..." he stammered nervously.

De Sola snapped his head towards him. "Yes?"

"I am here to report," Mendoza said after swallowing painfully, "that Rodrigo Alvarez and Clemente Villegas have disappeared... and so has the money of the pueblo."

Somehow, the two men must have gotten word of what Zorro was planning, and they had managed to escape in time.

After that, everything became incredibly confused. The governor sent his guards after the two fugitives. No one knew what he had in store for Zorro, as the outlaw disappeared before de Sola had time to give any order regarding him. Luis Ramon was immediately reinstated as Alcalde at once, which made him grin gleefully, which earned him a scathing comment from the governor chastising him for looking so smug when the money of his pueblo was at the moment running away.

Being done with his affairs in the pueblo, the governor decided to leave immediately. His guards would join him later, whether they caught the two fugitives or not. In the meantime, he had business to attend in another pueblo. The life of a governor was not as easy as some might think, especially when he had to deal with the Mexicans, as the governor informed everyone - rather loudly. Shaking his head, Alejandro watched the governor's coach disappear.

Perhaps now he should go home and have this talk with Diego...

_______________________________________________________________________

The evening found Luis Ramon in his office, drinking his wine in his glasses, sprawled in his armchair, feet on his desk. Eyes half-closed in complete and total bliss, he felt an incredibly good mood. Nothing could get him down, not even...

"Buenas tardes, Alcalde," Zorro said as he dropped inside the room.

Ramon preferred not to know how the damn fox had gotten past his guards yet again. He had improved the security, though... But so long as Mendoza was in charge, there would probably be no way to have guards worthy of the name "security."

He scowled at the intruder. But then he noticed the bag thrown over Zorro's shoulder, and his eyes lit up with greed. If that was what he thought it was...

"The tax money of the pueblo," Zorro announced, dropping the bag down. "Every centavo of it. Except for the five thousand pesos of reward for my head, which I felt should be given back to whom it truly belongs: that is to say, the people."

Ramon glared at the outlaw half-heartedly. The five thousand pesos did not really matter, he would just have to tax them back out of the people. But if Zorro had the money, that meant he had caught up with the ones who had stolen it to begin with, which meant...

"What about Rodrigo and my brother?" he forced himself to ask with what he hoped to be casualness, though he was not sure he really wanted to know.

Zorro looked thoughtful for a moment. "I caught Alvarez and handed him to the governor's guards. Unfortunately, your brother took advantage of the fact that I was tying up Alvarez to get away. I reckon he must be halfway to the border by now."

Ramon nodded, smiling.

This time, nothing would prevent the capture of Zorro.

"Guaaards! Mendoza!" he shouted as he drew his sword.

Zorro grinned, saluted with a flourish, and jumped through the window. By the time Ramon, Mendoza and the lancers followed him, he had vanished in the night.

________________________________________________________________________

Zorro got into the inn without making a sound. It was still early and night had just fallen. He expected Victoria to be still awake. He might have knocked at her window, but he preferred not to, so he ventured down the stairs and made for her room. A ray of light filtered under the door, and he knocked, feeling more nervous than ever before. At least, he knew he was doing the right thing.

She opened the door, and stared at him in surprise. "Zorro? Is something wrong?"

And she would ask that. He only ever came to her when something was wrong. Well, not this time. He shook his head.

"No, everything is fine. But I needed to talk to you, Victoria."

"Is that so?" she motioned him inside and he complied. Maybe the intimacy of her room would make it easier to speak to her.

"I have come to realize that we don't spend as much time together as I would like. And also, that it's mostly my fault." She was about to say something, but he silenced her. If he stopped now, he would never have the courage to continue. "It's true that I only show up in time of need, and whenever we find ourselves together, something always comes up. I did not want to spend too much time with you, lest I put you in danger... but I understand now that the fight against evil I undertook will never be completely over."

Victoria looked at him for a moment, lips quivering. "You... have you come to say goodbye?" Her voice was calm, but he could hear the shivering underlying.

"No," he said simply. "I never could live without you. And, even though it might be dangerous, even though I still cannot tell you what my real name is, I want to spend more time with you."

"I..." she began, then trailed off. "What do you mean?"

Zorro took her hand and brought it to his lips to lay a kiss on the soft skin. He did not feel nervous any longer. "What I am saying is: would you like to spend the evening with me?" He raised his head and smiled. "That is, unless you'd rather go to the Alcalde's and have a drink with him."

Victoria let out a short laugh. "Oh no, I don't want to hear him tell me for hours how he deserves better than this isolated pueblo, how he should be promoted, how he is not respected as he should be, and how he is going to catch you. Luis... hum, the Alcalde never seems to be able to speak of anything else. And besides..." her fingers closed on Zorro's wrist. "I am the one who caught you. And I will never let you go again."

Zorro smiled and brushed her hand with the tip of his fingers. She loved him. The world was perfect. At last, he would have the happiness he had refused himself for so long, and so would she...

Later on, he would have to go back to the hacienda and talk to his father. He would lay down the mask and show Alejandro a son he could be proud of. But for the moment, he was going to spend some time with Victoria, and enjoy every second of it.

 


End file.
